Nissan envisions a world where you’ll only have to buy one iPhone case for the life of your precious device – and they just launched the world’s first self-healing iPhone case to bring that vision closer to reality. The case is coated with a special self-healing paint that was developed in partnership with the University of Tokyo and Advanced Softmaterials Inc. and originally intended for Infinity vehicles. When damage occurs, the coating on the iPhone case undergoes a chemical reaction that fills in any unwanted scratches and brings it back to its original form.

The Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone case uses a paint that is already used on Nissan and Infiniti vehicles, but it has never before been introduced to the world of portable consumer electronics. The case is made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene [ABS plastic], which is more rigid and robust than other plastics and also offers a better grip than your run-of-the-mill glossy iPhone case. The case is currently being tested in Beta form but Nissan says it could be mass-produced as early as the end of the year if reactions are positive. Unfortunately, although scrapes and scratches can be fixed the paint isn’t strong enough to repair larger impacts like big cracks or breaks.

“We’re really excited about the possibilities provided by this technology,” said Bob Laishley, Overseas Programme Director Business Development for Nissan in Europe. “In Japan, we’ve already linked up with world-leading mobile operator NTT DoCoMo to allow them to use the Scratch Shield technology on its Style Series N-03B mobile phones, and we think this technology has real scope beyond the automotive world. We’re passionate about innovations that get people excited, and that means not being restricted to one industry or genre.”

This innovative technology could save the electronics industry a world of waste – imagine if Nissan put this coating on cell phone and computer screens — or even eye glasses — scratch proof everything would mean fewer people would feel the need to replace perfectly functioning, but perhaps a teensy bit damaged, gadgets.